The Flu
by White Tigresss
Summary: Alison gets sick and Emily takes care of her. Fetus Emison.


**Hey guys! Just a cute one-shot for ya! Fetus Emison! Alison may be a little OOC, but it'll be explained within the story.**

* * *

It's 7 am and Alison knows that she should be preparing to get up for another day at school. It was probably going to be another usual day, when she gets up, takes a shower, picks an outfit that will have all the boys wanting her and all the girls wanting to be her, goes down to eat breakfast only to find an empty table and some burned toasts, and walks to the school fashionably late to meet her friends and claim once again her spot as the most powerful figure in Rosewood.

But today wasn't a usual day for Alison. She was feeling so sick that she doubted she could even get up from the bed: her head was aching and spinning, her throat was sore, her nose was congested and running, and she felt like she'd been hit by a truck. No doubt she caught the flu, and a bad one, so to speak!

As she was too tired to get up, Alison just decided to stay in bed until one of her parents or her brother noticed that there wasn't no noise coming from her bed or that her bedroom door remained closed and that they'd come to check on her and fetch to her every need. However, her eyelids were suddenly heavy and the back of her eyes hurt. Alison closed her eyes for a brief moment but then fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

It was lunch time at school, but Alison hadn't arrived yet. It wasn't like her to be that late, considering that she liked to run the place with an iron fist. Her friends, however, didn't see anything very unusual.

"Did you guys see Ali?" Emily asked.

"I have the first period with her, but she wasn't there." Aria replied

Emily's eyebrow furrowed in worry. Alison wasn't exactly a role student like Spencer was, but she rarely missed school. Ali was there even if she meant to skip classes afterward. "I think we should call her." Emily knew she was probably being an idiot to have asked that, but she couldn't help but wanting to know where Alison was, if she was safe and sound. Even after Ali rejected her in the locker room (and that still hurt), she still got… weird feelings when she was around the blonde Queen Bee. Honestly, how could she forget about those striking icy blue eyes or that perfectly curled blonde hair? Emily knew that she should only think such things about her boyfriend, but Ben was dull compared to the beauty Ali presented to her.

"Relax, Em, she's probably skipping classes." Hanna tried to calm her down while she chewed on her salad.

"Yes, it's Ali we're talking about after all." Spencer shrugged as well, reading one of the many books required for Russian History.

"It's not like her to simply miss school. She always comes." Emily argued.

"Who knows? For all we know, Ali could be hanging around with an older boy. That wouldn't be unlikely." Aria seemed uninterested also and Emily's face twisted into a frown when she heard the expression "older boy". She abhorred when Ali hang out with older guys because they all stared at her as if she was just a piece of meat and Emily couldn't understand why Ali felt the need to win their attention when she could get much better things without even trying. Older guys were all eyes and hands upon Alison and Emily felt an indescribable need to punch all of them.

"I'm gonna text her when I get home." The swimmer conceded, knowing that this was the most her friends would take, considering they weren't that worried about Ali's whereabouts at all.

* * *

Emily called Ali's house as soon as she returned home from her swim practice. No one answered. She waited fifteen minutes while attempting to do her algebra homework, which was pointless because algebra has never been her forte, much less now that she got her mind set on Ali's well-being. When she was too anxious to wait any longer, she called Ali's house again. No success.

"Emily, dear!" Her mother called, "Dinner is ready!"

"I'm coming!" She bolted downstairs and it occurred to her to she could ask her mother whether she's seen Jessica today. The DiLaurentis could have gone in a surprise trip and then she'd be worrying for nothing.

Emily brought up the subject as soon as they began to eat. "Mom, have you seen Ali's mom today?"

Pam chewed on her food before answering. "Yes, I think I saw her coming out of the grocery store. Why?"

"It's just that Ali didn't go to school today."

Her mother dismissed it. "Oh dear, Ali must've slept in. Maybe when she woke up it was too late to go to school"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Mom, Ali is always late! She doesn't care about arriving late and no one gives her a hard time for that!"

"I don't know what you want me to do, Emily," Pam gave up when she realized the passion with her daughter was worried about the DiLaurentis girl. Come to think of it, Emily's eyes always sparkle when she talks about Alison, Emily is always smiling whenever Ali pays a visit and Pam doubted that Emily had the same concern for Ben. With her motherly eyes, Pam quickly understood what was happening and it scared her. It scared her that Emily couldn't be "normal". It scared her what people could do to her daughter because she was "different" and they were close-minded. But, mostly, it scared her what Alison could do to her daughter because the blonde diva was unlikely to return those feelings and, even if she did, she was a fine manipulator, so one could never be too sure. "You can call her if you want, but I doubt it's something too serious."

Emily's face sank in desolation. Her mother would never understand just how much Alison meant to her and, even if she ever did, she'd never accept that her daughter was in love with another girl. "I've already tried that. No one answers her phone."

Pam finally gave her a sympathetic look as she reached for her hand across the table. "I'm sorry dear. There's not much that you can do then."

The rest of dinner was a grim affair and, after helping her mother with the dishes, Emily excused herself to the bedroom, claiming she had algebra homework to finish (and she had, she just didn't have the mind to do it right now). Instead, she just sat there at her window seat, clutching one cushion tight against her chest as tears began to sprinkle from her eyes.

She felt ridiculous. Her friends were probably right: Ali must've been out with some older guy and that's why she ditched school because they were all too immature to hang out with her. In a last-resort attempt, Emily picked up her phone and texted Ali, hoping that the blonde wouldn't think she was ridiculous by tomorrow morning.

* * *

Alison stayed in bed all day long, unable to get out of the bed to eat, not that her stomach seemed accepting of any food anyway. However, it bothered her that neither her parents or her brother were able to even check up on her. Her dad was probably busy doing extra shifts while her mother cheated on him and Jason got high in Marijuana.

It was past nine o'clock when she heard a soft knock on her door. "Alison, dear, are you alright?" Her mother asked through the door.

"I've-" She stopped to cough "I've got the flu."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Jessica sounded sympathetically, but all Ali wanted was an aspirin. "I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning."

"Th-" Cough. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, dear!" Jessica opened the door and left a plate on the bedside table. "There's some Chinese takeout if you want"

"Thanks, Mom, but I think I need an aspirin. Besides, I'm not hungry"

"Nonsense! You'll probably be better tomorrow and sleeping with an empty stomach will do you no good." Jessica insisted and Alison took the plate unwillingly. She couldn't smell it, but the sight wasn't really comforting to her stomach. "Call me if you need anything, dear! Have a good night!". Jessica left as soon as she entered, making Ali feel angry. She'd asked for an aspirin and she'd been denied that. She'd been lying there all day and none of them even had the decency to check on her before nine o'clock. Alison was sure she wasn't well. She'd had the flu before, but never so crippling like this.

Alison ate, even though the food weighed on her stomach, and she picked up her phone. Her eyes had hurt so much throughout the day that she could barely check it or warn one of the girls of her current state. However, as she checked it now, she found out that its battery was dying, probably from being turned on unnecessarily all day long. Before it died, however, Alison saw Emily's text. The sweet brunette asked her if she was okay and if she was going to school tomorrow. This simple message warmed her heart in a way that a healthy Alison would have suppressed. But sick Ali was needy and Emily simply showing that she still cared put on a smile on the Queen Bee's face. Before she could reply, however, her battery died and she groaned in frustration. Resigned, Ali crawled back to her bed as her stomach tried to digest her dinner. It was uncommonly cold for May, so Ali curled up under the sheets in the warmest way she could.

* * *

On the next morning, Alison felt worse than she'd felt the day before. Her head felt like she was about to explode, yet the worst thing about today was that it appeared that her stomach hadn't quite digested her dinner. It didn't take long for her to feel bile and her Chinese takeout coming up her throat and she immediately had to rush to the bathroom, ignoring the sharp ache in her joints, to throw it all up into the sink. Her throat burned as the acid substance was forced out of her mouth and tears came to the corner of her eyes.

Once she recomposed herself the best her state allowed her to, Alison crawled to the bathroom door and yelled: "Mom, I'm feeling worst today!" And then she had a cough attack.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie!" Jessica said by the door "I'm gonna call the school and tell them you're not going today. I hope you feel better tomorrow!" Her mother said before she went out of the door and left Ali in the emptiness and lack of assistance of her own house.

* * *

Emily was hopeful that she'd see Alison walking late into Mr. Fitz class, whistling "Hi Mr. Fitz" while he rolled his eyes at her being late again, but there was no glimpse of a golden head being fashionably late as usual. After the first period, Emily was sure she'd find Ali standing casually by her locker, probably flirting around with some jock. Then Ali would see her and snap "Why did you send me a text yesterday, Em? You're not my girlfriend, for God's sake!" and then she would blush in shame. But there was none of that: no standing, no flirting, no snapping, no blushing, and, mostly, no Alison.

By lunch, Emily had decided to pay Ali a visit after swim practice even if the girls didn't agree with her. She couldn't refrain her anxiety anymore and she needed to know if Ali was okay. "Ali didn't come today too."

"Well, that's weird," Aria seemed to have given it a thought. "She never skips two days in a row"

"Guys, it's Ali," Hanna just shrugged. "She's probably fooling around with some older boy," Oh, there it goes, that expression which made Emily cringe. "Remember that time when she ran off with Ian to Hilton Head for, like, a week?"

"I'm with Hanna," Spencer said. "It's not like that's something she hasn't done before. Besides, I think you're stressing too much over this, Em." She eyed the sweet brunette suspiciously.

"I'm just worried about Ali, that's all." Emily dismissed. She didn't want to discuss her feelings for Alison with the girls right now. She knew that the girls suspected of something in the back of their minds, especially Hanna, but she just didn't have the peace of mind to that.

"Yeah, and when she comes back, she'll call you out for worrying too much and even so you'll follow her like a lost puppy." Hanna snarled. Recently, Emily noticed that Hanna was becoming less and less tolerant of Alison. She had no idea if this had something to do with Ali calling her "Hefty Hanna" in the past or if Hanna was just growing to be a little bolder.

Spencer elbowed the blonde. "Rude much, Hanna?"

However, Emily was too upset to just brush it aside. "I'm leaving. If you guys don't wanna help, it's fine, But if something happened to Ali, I'll never forgive you!" She didn't really mean that, not the unforgiving part, but she was just too angry to care as she abandoned her tray of food on the table.

* * *

After swim practice, Emily went straight to Ali's house. She tried the doorbell twice, but no one answered the door. She tried calling Ali's name but heard no footsteps towards the door. She looked under the doormat but found no spare key. Her eyes trailed to the sides of the house and her mind had a dangerous idea: there was a ladder near Ali's window. If she climbed it, she could reach Ali's bedroom.

But that was preposterous! What if she reached Ali's room and found the blonde well and alive reading a book quietly on her bed? Ali would never forgive (and forget) her for that. And what if she never reached Ali's room at all? Emily knew she couldn't survive that fall without a broken bone. And what would be her excuse if that happened?

Yet, the desire of seeing Alison was stronger, and it pumped courage into Emily's veins, making her find the guts to climb the ladder and pray it didn't succumb to her weight or the wind. Surprisingly enough, Emily was able to climb it quite gracefully and land on Ali's balcony. From there, she could see a blonde figure lying on the bed. Please, please, don't let it be Ali with a guy in bed!

Emily knocked three times on the glass door and watched as Ali slowly, almost painfully, rolled off her bed, after almost crashing onto the floor, and went to her window to see who knocked. Her blue eyes widened when she saw the tall figure standing outside her balcony and the blonde had no choice but to open the balcony door to Emily.

"Em, how did you get here?!" She asked once Emily was safe and inside. "Don't tell me you climbed up that ladder!" Then, her head spun around and she felt dizzy. Alison was pretty sure she was going to fall when a pair of strong arms encircled her waist.

"Alison, are you okay?" Emily dragged her to the bed, instantly knowing that something was wrong.

"Yes, I'm fine, it's just a-" Nauseous feeling again, there you go. "Just the flu." Alison swallowed hard, trying to keep her stomach tamed for as long as Emily stayed there. She didn't want to play weak when the brunette was around. But the bile rose to her throat again, stronger than ever before. "Excuse me." And she staggered to the bathroom, being closely followed by a concerned Emily. She threw up again and again and pressed her forehead against the shrink, trying to face away from the sweet brunette currently rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Suddenly, Alison felt ashamed. She was the Queen Bee, the strong and ruthless ruler of Rosewood High and, yet, she was letting Emily see her in one moment of weakness. She was allowing the brunette to see through her masquerade once again. Therefore, the blonde snapped: "Well, what are you looking at? I think you saw en-" However, before she could complete her rant, bile rose to her throat again and she had to throw up once more.

Emily's eyes softened in fear for one second and then she realized that Ali wasn't mad at her, but at her own state of sickness. With that, Emily remained by her side, rubbing her back and combing her fingers down Ali's hair, which left Ali confused. Why didn't Emily leave disgusted by her sight?

"W-Why are you still here?"

"I can't leave you like this, Ali." Emily ran a hand through her blonde locks.

"Why? Why aren't you disgusted?" Alison couldn't understand. Had the situation been reversed, Ali would only stay by the door at most. She didn't know how to deal with sick people.

"Because we all get sick sometimes," Emily shrugged. "Besides, I take care of my mom when she gets sick, so I guess I'm kinda used to it. Now, take slow breaths, please!"

Ali nodded weakly and tried to control her breathing. She hadn't realized how fast her heart was beating until then. Unconsciously, she reached for Emily's hand to hold onto something and the brunette bit her lip, unsure if she should reciprocate the gesture because she never knew what grounds she was standing on with Ali.

Emily stood up once Alison had calmed down and offered her hand. "Here, let me help you back to your bed."

Alison would usually turn down this kind of gesture, but she was feeling so weak that she even doubted she could stand on her legs by herself. She let Emily wrap a strong arm around her midsection as she put her arm around Emily's shoulder for support. She staggered against Emily's side and the brunette had to firm her hand on Ali's waist to prevent her from falling and Ali didn't know why but that grip felt so right to her body.

Emily helped Ali lie in bed and pulled the covers over her. "Stay here, okay? I'm gonna make a tea for your stomach and I'll bring some crackers."

The swimmer was heading for the door when she heard Ali's fail voice. "Emily?" She turned around and saw her shivering. "I'm cold."

Emily didn't even think twice: she took off her Rosewood Sharks jacket and pulled it over Ali. She only realized what she'd done when her jacket was already covering the blonde. Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was Ali's bedroom, she could've easily opened up her closet and picked up a jacket, but no, she had to play the knight in the shining armor and give her her jacket instead.

"Uhm… T-Thanks." Much to her surprise, Alison put on the jacket and shied away. Emily bit her lip and left the room and, once she was gone, Ali hugged her jacket against her body as the swimmer's crashed down on her. She didn't expect that gesture at all, but it made her inexplicably happy and she swore she could feel a hint of Emily's perfume even though her nose wasn't functional at all.

Emily reappeared ten minutes later with a tray of tea, cracker and an aspirin, for which Alison profoundly thanked her. "Here, it's spearmint tea. It'll be good for your stomach and for your throat. I also brought you an aspirin because I think you have a fever."

Ali blushed slightly as she took the mug in her hands. "Thanks. Why the tray?"

It was Emily's time to blush. "I-It's b-because it made it easier to carry all t-those things."

Alison took a sip of the tea, feeling the liquid warm her throat and soothe her stomach. "It tastes delicious, Em."

"T-Thanks. Where are your parents?" Emily was afraid that the DiLaurentis were going to appear out of nowhere and then she'd be sent home instead of getting to spend time with Ali. She knew she shouldn't think like that because Alison probably wanted her mother in those situations, but Emily treasured any moment she had with Ali.

"Working or avoiding each other, probably doing both at the same time." Alison answered bitterly after swallowing the aspirin.

"I'm sorry for that."

"My mom only realized I wasn't feeling well after nine of the night. And today she saw me throwing up, but she practically ignored me." She suddenly felt hungry and ate one of the crackers.

"You could've called me, Ali," Emily softly replied, daring to put her hand over Ali's. "I would've helped you."

"I'm sure you would." The blonde smiled. "I saw your text, but my battery died when I was going to reply."

"Oh," Emily nodded, picking up the tray to put it on the bedside table after Ali finished eating. "I think it'd be a good idea for you to take a shower. Lukewarm water, though… I-I mean, if you want to..."

Alison smiled softly. "I think it's a good idea. Can you get my towel? It's in the second drawer."

Emily silently obeyed as Ali picked up her own pajamas and underwear. Then, the blonde went to the bathroom and Emily heard the sprinkle of the shower. The brunette couldn't help but notice how Ali took her jacket to the bathroom along with her other clothes. It appeared that the Queen Bee intended to keep using the jacket and that thought alone made Emily bite her lip in anticipation. Then, there was a soft knock on Ali's door; it opened and it revealed to be Jessica DiLaurentis. Oh shit!

"Oh, hi, Emily!" Jessica greeted with a wide smile. "I didn't know you were here. Where's Alison?"

"She's in the shower," Emily fidgeted with her fingers. "Ali let me in. She wasn't feeling very well."

"It's true. She mentioned something about not feeling well this morning," The older woman put her finger under her chin pensively. "Thanks for taking care of her, Emily. You're a good friend."

"You're welcome… I guess," Emily rubbed the back of her neck in awkwardness. The mother of the girl she liked was talking to her and she couldn't help but behave like a fool. Pull yourself together, Emily! "Anyway, I think I'll go home. I mean, now that you're here to take care of Ali." And she made herself a bigger fool.

Jessica just laughed and dismissed it with her hand. "Nevermind, sweetie. Why don't you stay over for dinner?"

"I-I have to call my mom and..."

"No worries. I'll call Pam and ask her if she wants to dine with us." Jessica winked.

"Uhm… Thanks, Mrs. D."

"Don't sweat it," The older blonde winked again and Emily only got more and more embarrassed. "Tell Ali I'm downstairs when she's back."

Emily only nodded and the older woman left the room. Five minutes later, Alison came out of the shower with her pajamas on under Emily's jacket and the brunette cracked a tiny smile. "Your mother came here. She told me to tell you that she's downstairs and she invited me and my mom over for dinner."

"Cool," Alison got underneath the sheets again. "I'm not that hungry, though. I think I'll try to get some sleep."

"Okay," Emily tried to hide her pout upon this veiled dismissal. "I'll be downstairs if you need me. I'll see if your mother needs some help in the kitchen."

However, Alison grabbed her arm before Emily could walk away. "Wait!" The brunette turned around, her face showing a mix of confusion and hope. "C-Can you stay here? With me?" Emily had never found Ali stutter on a question and it was totally adorable. Nevertheless, there was no way she could say no to that; she only didn't want how far to push. Therefore, Emily sat on the edge of the bed, but Ali pouted. "No, no there!" And she patted the spot beside her on the bed. "Here."

"Okay," Emily blushed and lied facing Alison beside her underneath the covers. "Excuse me." Ali's bed wasn't small, but it also wasn't big enough for two teenage girls and Emily found herself standing too close to Alison, her vanilla scent intoxicating her each and every sense. Alison, on the other hand, relished the warmth coming from the brunette and curled up against her, keeping her head next to the swimmer's chest. Emily yawned.

"Are you tired?"

"Kind of. Swim practice kicked my ass today. My arms are sore."

Ali didn't know why, but she felt the need to touch Emily's arms and rub all the pain away and, while healthy Ali would refrain from this with a snark comment, sick Ali was much more eager to give into her wants. Therefore, she put her hand over Emily's forearm, feeling the toned muscle underneath the skin, and rubbed it softly. Her hormones, which appeared to be quite healthy by the way, urged her to slip her hand underneath Emily's shirt to feel her taut stomach, but even sick Ali knew there were some boundaries she shouldn't cross.

Emily blushed furiously when she felt Ali's fingers on her skin. "A-Ali?"

Instead of pulling away or snapping, Alison finally found the courage to nuzzle into Emily's chest. "You're so warm."

"W-What's the meaning of this?"

Alison sighed (or tried to anyway) as her fingers remained on Emily's arms. Being in the arms of Emily Fields was something totally out of this world. When guys held her, they were often too handsy, too possessive, making her want to break away as fast as possible. But with Emily was different: her arms were open, warm and comforting. Alison felt that she had the freedom to go, even though she had no desire to. Emily didn't hold her back; she let her fly away so she could go back to her arms and Alison was sure that she'd do so every day of her life if given the opportunity.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away in the locker room, Emily," She finally spoke. "You kissed me, then I got scared and you make me feel those weird things inside..."

"What things?"

"You make me wanna run to you and never leave." Alison was bold and true about her feelings for the first time.

"You make me feel the same too." Emily weakly wrapped her arms around Alison in case the inconstant blonde decided to snap again.

"What do we do then?" Alison looked up and, for the first time, Emily thought she was scared. But what could Ali be scared of? Then, Emily remembered: Alison was afraid to lose her reputation, to become a pariah, maybe even to feel abandoned by her own family, and Emily could understand that because, to a lesser degree, Emily had the same fears. But also, for the first time, Alison gave her the wheel of their relationship, and Emily didn't know exactly what to do about it.

"I say we take it slow. We're both not ready yet." The brunette tried to sound rational, even though what she wanted the most in the world was to claim Ali as her girlfriend.

"Do I still get to kiss you?" Alison popped herself on her elbows so she could slightly hover over Emily.

"Not until your flu goes away." Emily joked, earning a playful shove from Ali.

"You dork!" And she rested her blonde hair back on Emily's chest as the laughter faded, being replaced by rhythm breathing and soft snores from Emily. When she was sure Emily had fallen asleep, Ali slid up so their faces were on the same level. "I love you, my sweet Mermaid." She confessed before placing a chaste kiss on Emily's cheek. Then, Ali put her head back on Emily's warm chest and soft heartbeat – where she belonged to.


End file.
